Patron Saint of Athletes and Sports: St. Sebastian and Prayers

The patron saint of athletes and of sports is St. Sebastian, the Christian officer of the Roman imperial guard who survived being shot with arrows and then gave his life for Christ around the year 300; his endurance and courage made him the model of the Christian athlete. Young athletes also look to St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, the joyful mountaineer and skier canonized in 2025, and to Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano, a teenager who loved tennis and swimming. St. Paul often compared the Christian life to a race and a contest for an imperishable crown. Below are their stories, prayers for athletes and teams, and Scripture for sport.

A short prayer for athletes, written for this page:

St. Sebastian, patron of athletes, pray for me.
Help me to train with discipline, to compete with honesty and respect,
to win with humility and lose with grace, and to give glory to God in everything. Amen.

St. Sebastian, patron saint of athletes

Sebastian served as an officer in the imperial guard under the emperor Diocletian, secretly encouraging Christians in prison. When his faith was discovered, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows and left for dead. St. Irene, a Christian widow, found him alive and nursed him back to health. Instead of fleeing, he confronted the emperor about the persecution of Christians and was beaten to death. Because of his physical endurance, his soldier’s discipline and his courage, Christians made him the patron of athletes, soldiers and archers. His feast day is January 20. See the St. Sebastian prayer.

St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, the sportsman saint

Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925), a young man from Turin, was a mountain climber, skier, cyclist and horseman, famous among his friends for his strength, his laughter and his love for the poor, whom he served in secret. He died of polio at twenty-four. Pope Leo XIV canonized him on September 7, 2025. His motto “Verso l’alto” (“To the heights”) is loved by young athletes. See St. Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Blessed Chiara Badano

Chiara “Luce” Badano (1971–1990), an Italian teenager of the Focolare Movement, loved tennis, swimming, hiking and music. At seventeen she was diagnosed with bone cancer; she offered her suffering to Jesus with extraordinary peace and died at eighteen. She was beatified in 2010 and is often proposed as a model for young athletes, especially girls.

Prayers for athletes

Written for this page.

Before a game or race

Lord, thank you for my body and the talents you gave me.
Keep me and everyone on the field safe. Help me to give my best, to play fair,
and to respect my teammates, my opponents and the officials. Amen.

For a team

Lord, bless our team. Make us united, generous and disciplined,
help us to encourage one another, and let our play be a witness of joy. St. Sebastian, pray for us. Amen.

After a loss

Lord, we lost today. Help me to learn from it, to congratulate the winners,
and to come back stronger, without bitterness. Amen.

For a coach

Lord, give me wisdom to teach, patience to correct, and love for every player.
Help me to form good people, not only good athletes. Amen.

Scripture for athletes

St. Paul (1 Corinthians 9:24–25, Douay-Rheims):

Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain.
And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one.

Running with patience (Hebrews 12:1–2, Douay-Rheims):

And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us:
Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God.

The good fight (2 Timothy 4:7–8, Douay-Rheims):

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming. Make haste to come to me quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of sports?

St. Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes and of sports in general.

Is there a patron saint of female athletes?

There is no official one, but many young women look to Blessed Chiara Badano, who loved tennis and swimming, and to St. Joan of Arc for courage.

Is it all right to pray to win?

Yes, but the best prayer asks to play well, safely and fairly, and to accept the result in peace.

More patron saints for sport

Texts and sources

1 Corinthians 9:24–25; Hebrews 12:1–2; 2 Timothy 4:7–8 (Douay-Rheims).